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For the first time England’s Prince Harry has talked about how he struggledemotionally after the death of his mother , Lady Diana, in September 1997. The 32 year old prince said that the the past few years of his life had been disturbing until finally his brother, William, urged him see a counselor.

Harry told journalists that it took him almost two decades to finally get over the tragic event. When Princess Diana died in a car accident, Harry was 12 years old.

He said that counselling helped him a lot because it is always good to open yourself up to a complete stranger. Apart from getting professional help, Harry started boxing to help overcome his grief.

In his late 20s Harry said that he had felt angry and left alone . He almost suffered a nervous breakdown as well. He said he had been dealing with the situation by not thinking about his mother and sticking his head into the sand.

Together with Prince William and his sister-in-law, Kate, Harry started the Heads Togethercampaign , a charity that helps people who have psychological problems.

Prince Harry – Image: Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee

Words

apart from = besides, also

campaign = movement ; events about a certain topic

charity = organization that gives money or goods to people who are poor or need help

The American video streaming service Netflix has 100 million subscribers around the world. This year alone the company has gained almost 5 million new viewers. Its content can now be seen used in 190 countries. Almost half of Netflix’s subscribers live in the United States.

The company expects to expand even more quickly as services in Asia, Africa and Latin America have just been started. Almost 75% of the world’s population live here.

A major part of Netflix’s success comes from producing its own shows. “House of Cards” or “Stranger Things” have won many awards become worldwide hits.

The success of the video streaming giant is also reflected at the stock markets. At the moment, Netflix has a market value of $63 billion and its stock price continues to rise.

In the past decade, Netflix has changed the way we watch television. More and more people are turning away from traditional TV, where you have to watch a film when it is aired or wait a week to watch the next episode of your favourite show. With video on demand viewers tend to watch whatever they want when they want to.

Competitors of Netflix have started to gain ground and are trying to make life tough for the streaming giant. Amazon Prime has launched its own streaming service and the big US networks are streaming their own shows as well.

Netflix

Words

air = broadcast on television

award = prize

content = here: films and movies it offers

continue = to go on

decade = ten years

expand = to make bigger

gain = to become more ; get

gain ground = catch up with; to become better

launch = start

reflect = show

rise = go up

stock market = place where parts of companies and businesses are bought and sold

streaming service = when you can watch a video while it is being broadcast over the Internet

subscriber = person who pays money every month to use something

success = to achieve what you wanted; to become very good at what you do

Canada plans to allow the limited use of marijuana for adults by the middle of 2018. For some time now, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been promising that he intends to legalizerecreational marijuana. With the new law, Canada is joining some US states which have also voted to allow marijuana. It will become the second country in the world to legalize marijuana on a nationwide basis. A short time, ago Uruguay became the first country to officially allow its citizens the use of pot.

The Canadian plan will allow users to possess 30 grams of the drug and grow up to four plants at home. While possession is to be allowed , selling the drug without a licence will lead to up to 14 years in prison. The government has also set the age limit for buying and using marijuana in public to 18. It will also control producers and give special licences to sellers.

On one side , Canada’s government hopes that the new law will stop the spread of illegal marijuana. But it also wants adults to decide for themselves if they want to use the drug. Opponents of the new law state that the government is sending a message that marijuana is not harmful. Experts agree that pot may have a greater physicalinfluence on your brain than tobacco.

According to a report recently released by UNICEF more teenagers in Canada use cannabis than anywhere else in the developed world.

A marijuana cigarette

Words

according to = as shown or said by …

agree = to have the same opinion about something

brain = organ inside your head that controls how you think, feel or move

cannabis = marijuana

citizen = a person who lives in a country and has rights there

developed world = rich countries of the world

drug = substance that you smoke or use to make you feel happy

harmful = dangerous

illegal = against the law

influence = effect

law = rule that a government has passed

legalize = to allow by law

limited = controlled, not in a great amount

marijuana = drug that is smoked like a cigarette

nationwide = across the whole country

officially = formally

opponent = a person who is against something

physical = about the body

possess = to have

pot = another word for marijuana

recreational = for pleasure or fun

state = to say officially

UNICEF = worldwide organization that helps children who are poor or suffer from disease , hunger etc.

After 20 years in space NASA’s Cassini mission is coming to an end in April. The {tooltip} spacecraft {end-text} an object that can fly through space and to other planets {end-tooltip} , which was {tooltip} launched{end-text} to start a journey {end-tooltip} in 1997 to {tooltip} explore {end-text} to find out more about something{end-tooltip}Saturn and its moons, is running out of {tooltip} fuel {end-text} energy that it uses to travel {end-tooltip}and will crash on Saturn’s {tooltip} surface {end-text} the top layer of a planet {end-tooltip}.

Cassini arrived at Saturn in 2004, after a 7-year long {tooltip} journey{end-text} trip {end-tooltip}. It carried the Huygens {tooltip} probe{end-text} a small unmanned spacecraft {end-tooltip}, which landed on Saturn’s moon Titan in 2005. In the last {tooltip} decade {end-text} ten years {end-tooltip}Cassini has been exploring the planet and its moons. {tooltip} Recently {end-text} a short time ago {end-tooltip}, the spacecraft has {tooltip} revealed{end-text} to show {end-tooltip}that there are giant oceans under the frozen surfaces of some of Saturn’s moons. It also {tooltip} discovered {end-text} to find something for the first time {end-tooltip}the existence of {tooltip} hydrogen {end-text} colorless gas; the lightest of all gases{end-tooltip}, one of the {tooltip} building blocks {end-text} an element that is needed to produce something {end-tooltip} of life.

In its last {tooltip} task {end-text} job {end-tooltip} before hitting Saturn’s surface , Cassini will pass through the space between the planet’s surface and its rings. It will travel closer to Saturn than ever before. NASA {tooltip} scientists {end-text} a person who is trained in science and works in a lab {end-tooltip}expect Cassini to find out even more about the Saturn’s {tooltip} mysterious {end-text} strange and unusual {end-tooltip}rings than we already know.

The American military has dropped the most powerful non-atomic bomb ever over ISIS {tooltip} strongholds {end-texte} places that are strongly defended by an army or by soldiers {end-tooltip}in Afghanistan. The bomb , which weighs over 10,000 kg , was {tooltip} aimed {end-texte} directed at {end-tooltip} at {tooltip} destroying {end-texte} to damage completely {end-tooltip}tunnel systems used by {tooltip} ISIS {end-texte} the Islamic State {end-tooltip}.

The bomb is directed by GPS and is {tooltip} designed {end-texte} was made for {end-tooltip}to damage large targets. {tooltip} According to{end-texte} as said by {end-tooltip} officials 36 Islamic fighters were killed during the {tooltip} strike {end-texte} attack {end-tooltip} near the Pakistan {tooltip} border{end-texte} line between two countries {end-tooltip}.

{tooltip} Eyewitnesses {end-texte} people who were there and saw the explosion {end-tooltip}in a nearby village said that they heard an {tooltip} extremely {end-texte} very {end-tooltip}loud explosion and saw a thick cloud of {tooltip} dust{end-texte} very small particles of dirt / powder {end-tooltip}.

The so-called “mother of bombs” was developed in 2003, but up to now, has never been used in the {tooltip} battlefield {end-texte} in a real war between two groups {end-tooltip}

The world’s longest railway tunnel, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, was opened after many years of construction. Trains can travel at speeds of up to 250 km an hour through the 57 km long tunnel. It took 17 years to complete and cost $12 billion. The engineeringmilestone will bring southern Germany and northern Italy closer together.

The new Gotthard Base Tunnel is also the world’s deepest tunnel, located 2300 metres below Swiss mountain peaks. A total of 2600 workers involved in building the tunnel had to excavate more than 28 million tonnes of rock.

Gottardinoshuttle trains will be running between the two endpoints of the tunnel and make a stop at Sedrun, a mountain station in the middle. 65 passenger and 240 freight trains are expected to travel through the tunnel every day. The Gotthard Base Tunnel will reduce the time it takes trains to pass through the Alps. A journey from Zurich to Milan, for example, will be reduced by an hour.

The new tunnel is part of a larger European transportation project that includes two other tunnels in the Alps. Ultimately, the EU plans a high-speed rail connection between its two majorharbours, Rotterdam and Genoa.

During the course of history the Alps have been a natural barrier to travel. In the past traders and merchants had to use mountain passes to travel from north to south. The first Gotthard rail tunnel opened in 1882, but as time went on it could not handle the growing traffic.

In the 1990s, Swiss citizens approved of a government plan to build a new tunnel. How hard such a construction feat would be soon became obvious . In places where there was hard rock boring was extremely slow. Workers could only advance only about half a metre every day.

The new tunnel is expected to reduce road traffic crossing the Alps as more and more lorries and cargo companies will put their freight on Swiss trains.

Inside the Gotthard Base Tunnel – Image : Hannes Ortlieb

Words

advance = move forward

approve = to agree with something or to say yes to a plan

barrier = a mountain, lake or any other natural object that stops people from going somewhere

Barack Obama has become the first American president to visit Hiroshima. During his recent visit to Japan he visited the city which was destroyed by the first atomic bomb.

Together with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Obama laid a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. In an emotional speech, Obama did not apologize to the Japanese people, but called the dropping of the first atomic bomb the biggest crime in human history. The American president demanded a world without nuclear weapons. The United States would also continue to stand by Japan, which turned from an enemy into an important ally in Asia. After the ceremony, Obama signed the guest book and spoke with survivors.

About 140,000 people were killed on August 6, 1945 when in the first atomic bomb exploded over the city. An additional 70000 died when the second bomb was dropped over Nagasaki. Nine days later Japan surrendered and World War II ended. Tens of thousands died from radiation illnesses in the decades that followed.

Obama did not mention the 20 000 Korean victims, who were forced to work for the Japanese in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing.

Although visiting Hiroshima has been a very sensitive issue for past American presidents, polls revealed that most Japanese wanted Obama to visit the city.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial – Image by Oilstreet

Words

additional = extra

ally = a friendly country that you help

although = while

apologize = to say you are sorry for what happened

continue = keep on

crime = an action that is against the law

decade = period of ten years

demand = want, wish for

destroy = to damage completely, so that nothing is left

emotional = with strong feelings

force = make someone do something

lay a wreath = put down a circle of flowers at a place where people have died

memorial = an object or building that has been built to honor a person or a famous event

mention = talk about

nuclear weapon = a bomb that releases energy by splitting atoms; it can kill thousands of people and destroy whole cities

poll = a study in which people are asked about their opinion on a certain topic

radiation illness = here : people who became sick because of the dangerous energy that came from the bombs

recent = a short time ago

reveal = show

sensitive issue = here: something that you have to deal with carefully, so that you do not make others angry

London’s Heathrow Airport is celebrating its 70th anniversary. The airport opened commercial services in 1946. Today over 70 million people pass through Heathrow Airport every year. It services 180 destinations in 90 countries. Over 93% of all passengers are international travellers. In 2015, Heathrow was the world’s sixth largest airport.

Heathrow,originally named London airport, lies 14 miles (22 km) west of central London . Construction of a military airport began in 1944. By the time it was finished the war had ended and Heathrow was turned over to civil authorities. The first passenger plane flew to Buenos Aires. In its first year of operation, 60000 passengers travelled through Heathrow Airport.

As time went on Heathrow grew and grew. In the last 10 years the airport has invested billions of dollars in modernising facilities for travellers.

Last year Terminal 1 was closed to make way for a modernised Terminal 2, which was reopened in 2014. Currently, the airport has two runways but there are plans for the construction of a third runway for Europe’s busiest airport.

Terminal 5 at Heathrow airport – image: Citizen59

Words

anniversary = day on which an important event happened years ago

celebrate = to show that a day in history is important by doing something special on it

civil authorities = organisation that belongs to the public, not the military

commercial service = here: people pay money for travelling to and from other places

The American pharmaceutical conmpany Pfizer has said it will no longer sell drugs that can be used for lethal injections to the Amercian government. A total of 7 substances on the list are mostly used for operations and certain illnesses but are also in liquids used for executions. According to a Pfizer representative, the company’s aim is to save lives and not help kill people.

Pfizer says it will closely monitor buyers who try to resell the drugs to state institutions, which may use them for executions.

After Pfizer’s decision , there are no more companies in the USA and Europe that sell lethal injection drugs to the Amercian government . The European Union has banned the export of such drugs to the US.

As a result, state authorities are trying to find new drugs and combinations of substances that can be used for executions. Normally, three mixtures of drugs are used to execute a prisoner. The first one makes you unconscious , the second liquidparalyses the muscles and the third stops the heart from beating.

In the past few years, the number of executions has decreased, in partdue to the availability of lethal drugs. Last year only 28 executions were carried out in the US. Among the 32 states that allow capital punishment, all of them use lethal injections as the main method of execution but some allow the electric chair,hanging, the firing squad and the gas chamber as alternatives.

Human rights organizations and other groups opposed to capital punishment have welcomed Pfizer’s decision as a bold move to ban the death penalty in the United States.

Lethal injection room in San Quentin, California

Words

according to = as said by …

aim = what someone wants to do or achieve something

authorities = group of people who make decisions and have power in certain areas

availability = the fact that something can be bought and used

ban = forbid, not allow

bold move = action that shows a lot of courage

capital punishment = to officially kill a person who has committed a crime

combination = mixture

death penalty = to officially kill a person who has committed a crime

decrease = go down

drug = chemical that is used as medicine

due to = because of

execution = the official killing of a person by the state

firing squad = group of people who are ordered to shoot and kill a prisoner

government = the people who rule a country

human rights = the basic rights that everyone should have, like the right to vote or the freedom of speech

illness = disease

in part = partly

lethal injection = a drug that is injected into your blood stream; it is used to execute people who have committed certain crimes

liquid = substance like water

main = most important

method = way

mixture = here: combination of liquids

monitor = watch closely

opposed to = against

paralyse = if a person cannot move arms or legs or feel anything

pharmaceutical = about producing medicine

resell = sell again

substance = here: drug, medicine

unconscious = if you are not awake and do not know what is going on around you